Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 477 "The culprit"

"I think Concubine Shen is not a bad person." Wang Chengen said courageously.

"It's normal that you don't think so. I didn't think so either at first." Wang An rolled his eyes at Wang Chengen and sighed. "But people change all the time. You have to keep your eyes open and observe carefully. Women, especially those in high positions of power, are the most deceptive. Don't trust them easily. She might ask you to call her sister, but she might actually be thinking of selling you, her brother, for money."

"Godfather, do you want to let that matter out?" Even after being slapped, Cao Huachun still couldn't completely forget the idea.

"No." Wang An refused firmly. "That matter has already been discussed with the master. It cannot be used again."

Cao Huachun was stunned and swallowed secretly. "Godfather."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I have to go." Wang An blinked and restrained his stern expression.

"Prepare the sedan!" Cao Huachun shouted.

"No need. The car is still waiting outside." Wang An waved his hand and then walked out with big strides.

Wang An arrived at the door and, with the help of the eunuch, put on his cloak and hat, then stepped on the eunuch's back and got into the carriage. "Go to the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes." The driver responded, and after the accompanying eunuch had boarded the carriage, he raised his whip and lashed at the horse's butt. "Gee!"

In the main hall of the Imperial Household Department, Cao Huachun heard the sound of hooves treading on wheels.

"Someone come here!" Cao Huachun shouted.

"Little Ancestor!" Soon two eunuchs responded.

Cao Huachun said to a eunuch, "Run to the East Office and have them send the people they've captured in the past two days to the Northern Pacification Office. If they capture anyone again, don't report it to us, just send it directly."

"Yes!" The first eunuch took the order and left.

Before the eunuch could leave, Cao Huachun looked at another eunuch. "Ride your horses to the Western Office. Follow the previous order. Pass it on, and then go to the Commandery and inform General Luo of this matter."

"Yes!" The second eunuch also took the order and left.

After the two eunuchs had left, Cao Huachun looked down at his only godson. "Go to the Northern Pacification Office. No need to ride a horse, you don't know how to ride anyway. Take a carriage." The Northern Pacification Office was the closest government office to the Imperial Household Department, so even if he walked, he could reach his destination before the two eunuchs.

"What does godfather want his son to do?" Wang Chengen asked.

"Tell Tian Ergeng to interrogate the suspects according to the rules of the crime of treason, and make sure to get confessions from all the suspects within one day. After that, you will stay in the Northern Pacification Office and do not interfere with the interrogation. Just follow Tian Ergeng and follow him wherever he goes." Cao Huachun said.

"Yes." Wang Chengen nodded thoughtfully.

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About three quarters of an hour later, the carriage carrying Wang An stopped steadily in front of the gate of the Ministry of Justice.

Because Wang An was wearing a plain cloak and a bamboo hat, he was unsurprisingly stopped by the gatekeeper. "Which yamen are you from?"

"Jinyiwei." The eunuch following Wang An took out a waist badge of Jinyiwei captain.

"Oh, it's the imperial envoy. Please come in!" The bailiff was stern and did not check the card carefully. He just stepped aside.

When he arrived at the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, Wang An had already taken off his hat, but was still wearing his cloak.

"Seal Holder Wang!" When he saw Wang An, the Minister of Justice Huang Kezan was immediately shocked.

Huang Kezan didn't have time to think about it. He just threw down the brush in his hand and walked quickly towards Wang An.

Wang An was the first to bow to Huang Kezan. "Grand Minister Huang, we meet again."

"No need to be so polite, Master Wang." Huang Kezan's heart was beating fast, but he really had no idea what Wang An's intention was, so he just waited without saying anything.

Wang An turned his head to look at the empty desk with the four treasures of the study but no one behind it and asked, "Didn't the Duke of Ying come to the Ministry of Justice to do his work today?"

"The British Announcement is ill," Huang Kezan said meaningfully, "and he didn't come yesterday either."

"Heh." Wang An couldn't help but smile: He is worthy of being the Duke of England, he always gets sick in such a fitting way.

"Mr. Huang." Wang An turned around.

"What advice do you have for me, Master Wang?" asked Huang Kezan.

"There have been a lot of rumors about your tribe in Beijing recently. I wonder if Mr. Huang has heard about it?" Wang An asked.

"The Ministry of Justice only abides by the laws of the Ming Dynasty and never relies on rumors." Huang Kezan said righteously.

"That means I've heard of it." Wang An said.

"It goes in one ear and out the other. Just forget it after you hear it." Huang Kezan still had that deep look on his face.

"Where is Li Guochen?" Wang An stopped beating around the bush with Huang Kezan.

"Is Master Wang here to secretly interrogate Li Guochen under the imperial order?" Huang Kezan asked.

"I want to ask him a few questions." Wang An neither nodded nor shook his head.

"Then please follow me to the tea room in the back hall and wait for a while. I will ask someone to bring Li Guochen out." Huang Kezan was about to call the yamen runner over, but was stopped by Wang An.

"No need to go through so much trouble. Please take me to the cell." Wang An said.

"Please follow me." Huang Kezan did not get the information he wanted, but he had no choice but to lead the way.

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The Ministry of Justice has six major prisons, namely A, B, C, D, E and F. Each prison is managed by a ninth-rank prison warden.

Soon, Huang Kezan, Wang An and the eunuch with the Jinyiwei badge arrived at the cell No. 1 where Li Guochen was imprisoned.

As the three of them reached the prison gate, Zhang, the warden in charge of the prison, hurried over to greet them. "Greetings, Your Excellency!" This was the first time Warden Zhang had seen Huang Kezan in the prison.

"Give me the key." Huang Kezan stretched out his hand.

Warden Zhang was startled, and subconsciously glanced deep into the cell. "Which cell do you want the key to?" "All of them," Huang Kezan said calmly.

"Yes." If Warden Zhang still didn't understand Huang Kezan's meaning, he wouldn't have to do this job anymore.

Warden Zhang handed the heavy keychain to Huang Kezan and said to the jailer beside him, "Go and call out all the brothers in there!"

"Yes!" The jailer received the order and ran into the cell. When Wang An and Huang Kezan arrived at the door of the cell where Li Guochen was imprisoned, all the jailers guarding the prison had withdrawn.

Inside the cell, Li Guochen heard the clatter of people rushing in and out and slowly coming in, guessing someone was coming to interrogate him. But he remained seated, eyes closed, until the sound of a lock being unlocked. He opened his eyes and slowly rose. "Greetings, Grand Marshal Huang," Li Guochen said, standing still and bowing respectfully to Huang Kezan.

Huang Kezan was a little surprised and glanced sideways at Wang An.

"He hasn't seen me." Wang An reached out to untie the rope that tied his cloak, and the eunuch following behind him also helped him take off the cloak with great insight.

As the majestic sitting python appeared, Li Guochen's pupils shrank. Then, he knelt down. "I, the unworthy Li Guochen, pay my respects to the King, the Seal Holder."

"You recognized me just by the clothes I was wearing," Wang An said coldly, looking at Li Guochen. "It seems that Young Master Li is also a man with ulterior motives."

"I do know the new palace rules," Li Guochen said calmly and composedly. But if someone put their ear to Li Guochen's chest and listened carefully, they would know his heartbeat was out of whack, clearly indicating extreme nervousness.

"Then Master Li, do you know why I came here today?" The accompanying eunuch found a stool and quietly placed it next to Wang An. Wang An did not sit down, but pointed at Huang Kezan who was standing beside him.

The eunuch understood and moved the stool next to Huang Kezan, then turned and left the cell.

"I don't know." Li Guochen shook his head.

"Since Young Master Li doesn't know, then I'll guess right here. But don't guess wrong, I'm only here this once." Wang An's tone was calm, but the threat was obvious.

Li Guochen's heart tightened. He didn't want to see a eunuch secretly questioning him. "Is Master Wang here about this unethical case?"

"Haha, Young Master Li is asking me a question back." Although Wang An was smiling, there was no trace of smile between his brows.

"I am as foolish as a piece of rotten wood. I truly cannot guess the purpose of Wang Zhangyin's visit." To remove the sarcasm from his words, Li Guochen adopted a very submissive attitude. "If Wang Zhangyin is indeed here for my case, then your good intentions are in vain."

"Why do you say that?" Another stool came over and Wang An finally sat on it.

"Because every word I confessed is true, I was the one who killed Li Youcai, the slave who went to Tianjin to tip off Shen Caiyu." Li Guochen still insisted on his original statement.

"So," Wang An's eyes were full of scrutiny, "you caused such a commotion in front of Donghua Gate just for a servant in your house?"

"Of course, I'm not turning myself in simply out of regret for the death of a servant. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the heart to kill him." Li Guochen added a touch of emotion to his words and tone, tailored to the individual. "I'm simply afraid, terrified, that my crimes will bring unwarranted infamy and criticism upon my father."

"Since you are so filial, why don't you take on the remaining two cases as well?" Wang An asked.

"I knew nothing about the Beitang and Guangning cases, and my father and brother certainly didn't know either! These must be the evil deeds done by those greedy servants for their own selfish desires, using the name of my Li family. Please investigate!" Li Guochen thought it through thoroughly. At this time, he had not been punished yet, so he could not even blame Li Guorui, otherwise it would be naked "unfriendliness".

"Oh, Young Master Li," Wang An's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of admiration. This Li Guochen was indeed a good material. "There's a rumor circulating out there lately," Wang An continued speaking to Li Guochen, but turned to look at Huang Kezan. "I wonder if you've heard of it?"

Huang Kezan understood Wang An's meaning and shook his head slightly, indicating that he had not told Li Guochen anything.

However, this question and shaking head had another meaning in Li Guochen's eyes.

In Li Guochen's plan, eunuchs were not a necessary part; what he needed was the support of civil officials or public opinion. Now, even the Minister of Justice, who was in charge of the case, shook his head and said he had never heard of it, which meant that his plan had not yet had a widespread impact and might even have been deliberately suppressed by the palace.

Seeing Li Guochen remain silent, Wang An pressed the issue, "Master Li, what do you think are the rumors circulating out there?"

"I don't know what the rumor is, please tell me clearly, Master Wang." Of course, Li Guochen couldn't admit it.

"You are the ones who spread this news deliberately. Your imprisonment as Master Li is the most crucial link in this farce, but you still dare to say that you don't know? The matter is already obvious. Confess everything, and you still have a chance of survival. Otherwise, even gods cannot save you!" Wang An still spoke ambiguously.

Li Guochen panicked. Could it be that the palace had already arrested Li Laifu? Regardless of whether it was or not, he couldn't just admit it verbally. The situation couldn't get any worse!
"If Master Wang has solid evidence to convict me, I will accept the punishment." Li Guochen clenched his fists in his heart.

"You admit the crime of disrespect?!" Wang An finally growled and said something clear.

Wang An didn't roar uncontrollably, but the gloomy aura emanating from him still slightly startled Huang Kezan. In Huang Kezan's memory, Wang An was always that quiet, scholarly demeanor. He'd never been angry, and even when he laughed, he was restrained.

"What do you mean by disrespect?" This charge was terrifying, but Li Guochen didn't even think of defending himself. Li Guochen was completely clueless and froze.

Wang An stared at Li Guochen for a moment longer, and seeing the doubt on his face didn't seem fake, he gave up the thought of asking further. "If you can't remember, forget it."

Wang An stood up and left, and Huang Kezan followed after locking the door. The three of them had come and gone in a hurry, leaving Li Guochen alone, confused and bewildered, sinking deeper and deeper into fear.

What is disrespectful? Who is disrespectful?

Li Guochen couldn't figure out the deeper meaning behind this, he just instinctively felt that someone wanted to use this crime to put him to death.

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"Mr. Huang, excuse me for disturbing you." In the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, Wang An bowed and said goodbye to Huang Kezan.

Huang Kezan silently returned the greeting to Wang An, but after taking a few steps, Huang Kezan, who had been hesitant all the way, finally spoke out. "Master Wang, please stay."

"What advice does Mr. Huang have?" Wang An turned around and looked at Huang Kezan.

"I won't tell anyone else that you were here." Huang Kezan made the first move to show goodwill.

"Haha." Wang An bowed and thanked him, his smile very tired. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Huang."

"I think the rumors outside were not spread by Li Guochen." Huang Kezan tried to say.

"I hope it's him." Wang An's face showed a complicated expression.

"You, hope?" Huang Kezan didn't expect Wang An to be so straightforward.

"The Emperor's wrath leaves millions dead and blood flowing for thousands of miles. There has to be a way for His Majesty to vent his anger, right?" Wang An sighed. "The Li family is already so rotten, it wouldn't hurt to pin some more crimes on them, what do you think?" Wang An felt that this was likely another unsolved case. He had already begun to plan on fabricating a culprit to appease the Emperor if the Pacification Office couldn't find the truth.

Huang Kezan lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. "If the palace came to ask for someone, the Ministry of Justice would not stop them."

"Thank you."

(End of this chapter)